Car crashes into house in Houma

Published: Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 12:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 10:28 p.m.

Residents near downtown Houma awoke to a surprise Thursday morning as a Toyota Camry careened into a house on West Park Avenue, tearing through siding and leaving pieces of wood and insulation strewn across the property.

About 8:35 a.m. Sonje Simms lost control of her Camry on West Park and crashed into the side of a home on the bayou side of the street near the intersection of Morrison Road, according to Houma Police Department spokesman Lt. Dana Coleman.

Simms, 41, was cited on careless operation of a vehicle. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Coleman said.

No one was injured in the accident, Coleman said. The home sustained visible damage to the exterior and interior portion of the wall. The Camry had been removed from the site of the crash by 11 a.m.

Janet LeBlanc, who has rented the house for six years, awoke to a loud bang and shuttering walls.

“I didn't know what the heck it was,” LeBlanc, 62, said. “My stove is bent, my bathroom and shower tiles are all cracked. What a mess.”

The Camry plowed through the kitchen wall, toppling the contents of her refrigerator all over the stove and damaging electrical connections to the house. LeBlanc is left with a new view of the street through a hole several feet wide where her refrigerator once stood.

LeBlanc said there was easily “several thousand dollars” in damage to the home, but she could not touch or move any of the wreckage pending an inspection by insurance agents. She expects to be without electrical and telephone connections until crews can inspect the damaged utility boxes.

Staff Writer John Harper can be reached at (985) 857-2209 or john.harper@houmatoday.com

<p>Residents near downtown Houma awoke to a surprise Thursday morning as a Toyota Camry careened into a house on West Park Avenue, tearing through siding and leaving pieces of wood and insulation strewn across the property.</p><p>About 8:35 a.m. Sonje Simms lost control of her Camry on West Park and crashed into the side of a home on the bayou side of the street near the intersection of Morrison Road, according to Houma Police Department spokesman Lt. Dana Coleman.</p><p>Simms, 41, was cited on careless operation of a vehicle. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Coleman said.</p><p>No one was injured in the accident, Coleman said. The home sustained visible damage to the exterior and interior portion of the wall. The Camry had been removed from the site of the crash by 11 a.m.</p><p>Janet LeBlanc, who has rented the house for six years, awoke to a loud bang and shuttering walls.</p><p>“I didn't know what the heck it was,” LeBlanc, 62, said. “My stove is bent, my bathroom and shower tiles are all cracked. What a mess.”</p><p>The Camry plowed through the kitchen wall, toppling the contents of her refrigerator all over the stove and damaging electrical connections to the house. LeBlanc is left with a new view of the street through a hole several feet wide where her refrigerator once stood.</p><p>LeBlanc said there was easily “several thousand dollars” in damage to the home, but she could not touch or move any of the wreckage pending an inspection by insurance agents. She expects to be without electrical and telephone connections until crews can inspect the damaged utility boxes.</p><p>Staff Writer John Harper can be reached at (985) 857-2209 or john.harper@houmatoday.com</p>